Demons
Demons are malevolent spirits that are the direct opposites to angels. They are created from human souls that have endured extensive torture in Hell by Alastair and other demons. In this process, they become corrupted, extremely evil, and also very powerful. Similar to Angels, they require a vessel to walk the Earth, though they are able to roam in their smoke form. The species as a whole functions as the series' primary antagonists and are the most recurring supernatural creatures in the series. Story Early History After humans were fully evolved, God created a paradise on Earth called the Garden of Eden. He placed humanity in the Garden, and declared them his favorite creations. He told all the angels in Heaven to bow down before the humans, to serve them and love them more than him. The archangel Lucifer refused to bow down before a species that was younger, and inferior to him. He claimed that they were "flawed, and murderous." He declared war against God, and was eventually cast down to Earth. God placed his most trusted angel, Gadreel, to guard Eden from the The Devil. He failed as Lucifer tricked him and snuck into the garden. To get vengeance on God, he tempted Lilith and corrupted her soul, making her into the first demon. Lucifer, still in the garden, further spited God by tricking Adam and Eve into eating the forbidden fruit. God cast humanity out of the Garden for disobeying him. Following the creation of Lilith, Lucifer personally created and empowered four demons named Azazel, Ramiel, Dagon and Asmodeus. These four would become known as the Princes of Hell and were Lucifer's heirs and generals of demonic armies. Years later, Adam and Eve had two sons, named Cain and Abel. Satan manipulated Abel into worshiping to him rather than God. Cain saw what Lucifer was doing, and offered his own soul, so that Abel's could go to Heaven. Lucifer agreed to the deal, but Cain had to be the one to kill Abel and take upon the Mark of Cain, the first curse in existence created by God himself. Cain obeyed, and bared The Mark. At some point he died, but The Mark didn't let him go, and instead transformed Cain into a powerful kind of demon called a Knight of Hell. On Lucifer's orders, Cain trained more demons, eventually creating a demonic army known as the Knights of Hell. Among these chosen demons was Abaddon. Seeing the threat the fallen archangel posed to creation, God created a personal cage for Lucifer, which was locked by bound with 600 powerful seals and needed 66 broken to open. The demon Samhain was chosen to be a seal along with Lilith, whose death would be the final seal to set The Devil free. As time went on, the demons that knew of Lucifer's existence gave up search and the younger demons disbelieved his existence, except for Azazel. Characteristics Demons are the result of human souls going to Hell and being tortured until no humanity is left in them, thus turning into demons - dark, malicious spirits that revel in pain, chaos, and death. According to Ruby, most demons forget what it means to be human. Some have even forgotten that they were once human. In general, demons engage in torture and destruction because it is fun or to avoid being tortured themselves. Some demons, however, are true believers in Lucifer's agenda to "cleanse" Earth, and actually consider themselves morally superior to humans. There are many ways of becoming a demon, from making a deal with a Crossroad Demon, to being a witch, and making a deal with another demon. They manifest on Earth in the form of a long, slender cloud of black smoke. Crowley appears as the only exception, appearing as a blood-red cloud. Their true forms have not been shown onscreen, however Dean has seen their true forms, before he was taken to Hell. He says they look horrible even going as far to call Ruby "one ugly broad." Once a soul becomes a demon, it gains the basic demonic powers (possession, superhuman strength, etc.) and from there, it can work its way up the ladder to positions of greater authority and power within Hell. Often when a demon has used its powers, they leave a trace of sulfur in the nearby space, or if on a person, around the victim. This can give away the demon's presence, indicating to hunters that they are hunting a demon. Very powerful demons leave much more sulfur than average, as evidenced when Azazel kidnapped Sam. Some demons are sent back to Earth to accomplish certain tasks, such as causing disasters, spreading diseases, assassinating hunters, or manipulating people into committing crimes that will get them sent to Hell. To do this, they have to take a vessel or "meatsuit" in order to physically exist. When they possess humans, they usually enter through their mouths. On one occasion, a demon entered a human via the eyes (as seen in the episode Phantom Traveler). Possessed humans often look exactly the same as they did before possession, the only noticeable change being that their eyes will sometimes change color (black, red, white, grey, or yellow depending on the demon possessing them). Demon possession also causes a chemical change in the circulatory system of the host; demon blood is known to be a unique serum and has certain attributes when ingested. Whenever they use their powers, they leave a trace of sulfur in the form of yellow dust. Angels and other supernatural beings can see the true faces of demons underneath their vessels. Often under possession the human begins speaking and acting like the demon would. Upon exorcism the human - if they survived - retains no memory of their time during possession (unless they have been "awake" during possession, in which case the time of possession is a nightmare for them). The possessed humans also gain the powers of whichever demon is possessing them. Unlike angels, whose possession of a human vessel has to be with the vessel's consent, demons forcibly possess humans. People suffering from stress, fear or panic can be vulnerable to demonic possession. Demons abhor the name of God (Christo). Demons apparently cannot leave a host body if they are gagged by an encrypted gag; Sam and Dean make use of this tactic against the Phantom Traveler ''via blindsiding it and taping its mouth shut, while both Meg and Ruby have been gagged while undergoing torture to prevent them from fleeing their hosts. Demons have no quarrel with killing or torturing their own kind to achieve their goals. Tom, for example, tested the fake Colt by shooting his demonic "sister" Meg.1 When pitted against other demons due to their individual goals, Ruby, Crowley, and Meg herself have killed their own kind without pause or remorse. High-ranking demons will casually sacrifice their underlings without hesitation. At the same time, though, some demons forge bonds with their siblings. Azazel, for example, referred to Meg and Tom as his "children" and was angered when Sam and Dean exorcised Meg and killed Tom (''Devil's Trap). It is revealed that demons, although being tortured and twisted human souls, can be cured. Father Max Thompson, a member of Men of Letters, tried to find this cure, having made several experiments, but always ending with the demons' escape. Finally, he found that it is necessary to perform it on sacred ground and use purified blood to heal a demon. He injected his own purified blood into the demon hourly eight times and after the eighth he recited the exorcism achieving the cure.2 Sam later used this cure successfully on Dean. Like angels, demons tend to dress in formal wear while possessing a human, wearing dark suits in contrast to the lighter colored suits worn by angels. Some demons prefer whatever outfit the human was wearing. A notable exception is Crowley, who despises anything other than a well-tailored, dry-cleaned suit. However, demons such as Meg, Ruby and Duke prefer leather jackets. Certain crossroads demons, especially ones in female vessels, wear appealing outfits to appease their clients. Although demons are born from twisted and tortured souls and are notorious for their vicious nature, demons under Crowley tend to act much like regular humans in that they operate in a business-like fashion and rarely exhibit unrestrained behavior. One demon explained that "You can be damned and a conscientious worker." A majority of the demons do not recall their time as a human. Some demons also emit demonic omens in their presence. They can range from electronic failure to cattle deaths. All demons go to a dimension called The Empty when they die. Once there, they slumber for eternity along with angels who are also sent to the dimension. 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